This application relates generally to the field of automobile fuel control regulator systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for controlling the operation of automobile fuel control regulator systems.
Front Crash Sensors (FCS's) associated with a vehicle Restraint Control Module (RCM) are often located near the front of an automobile. When activating the vehicle's horn or siren, which also may be located near the front of the vehicle, one or more of the signals produced by the FCS's may unintentionally be magnified or otherwise affected by sounding the horn or siren. The FCS's signal may fall outside of predetermined ranges and therefore be interpreted by the RCM as sensing a vehicle crash. In turn, the RCM may erroneously issue a Fuel Cut-Off (FCO) command, which causes the fuel pump to cease pumping fuel to the engine as a safety measure to the occupants of the vehicle, ultimately resulting in loss of vehicle engine power. Consequently, unintended loss of engine power (or modulation of fuel pump performance) during normal driving conditions may occur as a result of the FCS's being affected by the activation of the horn or siren. Moving the FCS's or the horn away from one another is not a viable solution given that the optimal mounting locations for the horn and the FCS's overlap. Aggressive driving together with horn activation exacerbates the problem of the FCS's registering outside of predetermined limits.
There is a need, therefore, to prevent erroneous FCO commands resulting from the noise contamination of one or both of the FCS's due to their physical proximity to a vehicle's horn, siren, or other audio device.